Video: Final National Top 25Montverde Academy dynasty continues with another national title.
The Golden State Warriors will look to close out Cleveland in the NBA Finals on Friday night, bringing the Bay Area its third title in four years.
How does this dynasty stack up against past runs by the Bulls, Celtics and Lakers? Expect everyone to have an opinion on that next week.
It got us thinking along other lines – how do the Warriors stack up against the modern-day dynasties in high school basketball? Read on for the resumes of the programs running things at the prep level.
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) Grant Rice
Dynasty credentials: Bishop Gorman has won seven consecutive Nevada state championships, the longest active streak in high school basketball. The Gaels have gone 446-94 since Rice took over in 2002, winning 11 state titles during that span. The Nevada powerhouse has finished ranked nationally by MaxPreps in six of the last nine seasons.
Notable players: Over 50 players Rice has coached have went on to play at the college level, including NBA Draft picks Zach Collins, Shabazz Muhammad and Stephen Zimmerman.
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)Coaches: Scott Beeten, Michael Peck, Todd Simon, Andy Johnson, Jerome Williams, Paul Washington Sr.
Dynasty credentials: Findlay Prep has cycled through six coaches since its inaugural season in 2006-07. Despite the turnover, Findlay has been nationally-ranked at the end of the last 11 seasons and was crowned national champ by MaxPreps in 2009. The Pilots won the National High School Invitational (now GEICO Nationals) in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Notable players: Thirteen former Pilots have gone on to appear on a NBA roster – Brandon Ashley, Anthony Bennett, Avery Bradley, Dillon Brooks, Nick Johnson, Cory Joseph, Jorge Gutierrez, DeAndre Liggins, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tristan Thompson, Rashad Vaughn, Nigel-Williams Goss and Christian Wood.
Hope Christian (Albuquerque, N.M.)Coach: Jim Murphy
Dynasty credentials: Hope Christian has captured six consecutive Class 3A state championships and nine in the last 10 seasons. The Huskies have earned 16 state crowns since 1985 and 14 since 1999. Coming off his 35th season as head coach, Murphy now has an overall mark of 786-207.
Notable players: Murphy coached all three of his sons to state titles – Josh in 2006, Matt in 2009 and 2010 and Micah in 2011 and 2013.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)Coach: Gary McKnight
Dynasty credentials: McKnight took over this Orange County program before the 1982-83 season and has won 91 percent of his games for a career record of 1,107-105. The Monarchs have captured leagues titles in 34 of the last 35 years while piling up 22 section titles and 11 state titles. Mater Dei was crowned national champion by MaxPreps in 2014.
Notable players: Nine players McKnight has coached at Mater Dei have appeared on NBA rosters – Cedric Bozeman, LeRon Ellis, Reggie Geary, Stanley Johnson, Jamal Sampson, Miles Simon, D.J. Strawberry, David Wear and Travis Wear.
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)Coaches: Kevin Sutton, Kevin Boyle
Dynasty credentials: Sutton built the foundation for the Eagles to become the basketball powerhouse they are today. He went 186-33 from 2004-11 and sent 46 players to the next level. In 2011, Boyle took over and elevated the program to new heights, compiling a 192-14 record and winning four of the last six GEICO Nationals crowns. The Eagles were crowned national champions by MaxPreps in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
Notable players: Philadelphia's dynamic duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both spent time at Montverde. While Embiid transferred out for his senior year, Simmons earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors in 2015.
Neumann-Goretti celebrates a win in Pennsylvania's 2014 Class AAA state title game.
Photo by: Ken Reabe Jr.
Coach: Carl Arrigale
Dynasty credentials: Since Arrigale took over as head coach in 1999, Neumann-Goretti has captured 10 Catholic League titles, nine city titles and eight state championships. The Saints are on a run of five consecutive state titles.
Notable players: Arrigale has coached 15 players who have scored over 1,000 career points – Ja'Quan Newton, Quade Green, Tony Chennault, Scoop Jardine, John Davis, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Rick Jackson, Lamarr Kimble, Zane Martin, Derrick Rivera, Cantrell Fletcher, Earl Pettis, Lamin Fulton, Danny Stewart and Chas Bailey.
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)Coach: Steve Smith
Dynasty credentials: Smith has won 94 percent of his games with a career record of 1,108-72 over his 33 seasons as head coach. The Warriors have finished the season ranked in the national Top 25 for 30 consecutive seasons dating back to 1988-89 (longest active streak in high school basketball). Oak Hill was crowned national champions by MaxPreps in 2012.
Notable players: Smith has produced 26 NBA Draft picks and nearly 200 Division I basketball players, coaching the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, Stephen Jackson, Brandon Jennings, Ron Mercer, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and Jerry Stackhouse.
Scott County Central (Sikeston, Mo.)Coaches: Ronnie Cookson, Kenyon Wright, Frank Staple
Dynasty credentials: Scott County Central is arguably the greatest small public school program in the country over the last four decades. The Braves have captured 18 state championships since 1975, including seven straight from 1982-1990. Central is coming off a losing season and hasn't won a state title since 2014, but it still has five state crowns in the last 10 years.
Notable players: SCC has retired six numbers, including that of current Washington Wizard Otto Porter Jr.
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)Coach: Bob Hurley
Dynasty credentials: St. Anthony closed its doors last year but not before Hurley put together one of the most impressive resumes in high school basketball history. The Hall of Famer amassed 1,184 wins in his 45-year coaching reign, capturing 28 state championships. The Friars were crowned national champions by MaxPreps in 2011 and 2012 with other media outlets identifying them as the final No. 1 in 1989, 1996 and 2008.
Notable players: Over 150 players Hurley coached went on to the Division I level. Rodrick Rhodes, Roshown McLeod, David Rivers, Bobby Hurley, Kyle Anderson and Terry Dehere all became first round picks.
